Episode #43: "I am not Pat Parkinson; I am Pat Dunstan!"

Pat Dunstan, nurse, lawyer, and now patient with Parkinson's Disease says, "Although I have Parkinson's, I'm living my best life...it's here, it's something that I have to deal with, but it does not define the person that I am!"We dive into Pat's journey living with Parkinson's: "And in an instant life changes. I see a little twitching in my finger..." "At work I was hiding the fact that I had Parkinson's Disease." "I had a lot of feelings!" "I had a major fear of once I leave work, what do I do?!" "I grew up with part of who you are is your job, and to be worthwhile in society, you should be working. And so I was in a panic. I definitely didn't feel worthy. I felt like somehow it was my fault that this was going on."Pat shares what she did to help herself, and to get comfortable with herself and the changes. "It was amazing to me that I was doing things I never would have dreamed of!..."Pat expresses heartfelt gratitude to her doctors and healthcare team: "My neurologist is amazing!" "My doctors are my family." "Without her (neuropsychologist) help, I think I would be a complete disaster!" We talk about the importance of making an effort to partner with your doctor. "As a patient, sometimes we're afraid to say anything." "I need to have a team approach to how I manage my healthcare...I want to be able to have that relationship that allows me to communicate with them effectively!"Thank you, Pat for sharing your inspirational story; I greatly appreciate you!